Bulb holder for flash lights



July 22,y 1930. H. w. STAPLES BULB HOLDER FOR FLASH LIGHTS Filed oct. 1o, 1928 INVENTOR Hen/'f il( fa/ BY @W Wa/I/L/IMYCMM ATTORNEYS Patented July 22, 1930 UNITED IsTirras PATENT OFFICE HENRY W.ASTA1PLES, NEW H,AVEN,. CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T 'WINCHESTER .REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE . "BULB normanv ron FLASH LIGHTS Applicationled y(leto'ner 10, 1928. Serial No. 311,423.

This invention relates to bulb holders for battery hand lamps.

In the usual construction of a battery hand lamp, a battery is arranged in a casing having a removable head and a lamp bulb is remov- "ablymounted in the end of the casing with the base terminal of the bulb vin contact with the carbon pole of the battery. An electric circuit is completed from the zinc can of the 1o battery to the other terminalv of the lamp through the lamp casing and the circuit is opened or closed by meacs of aswitch mounti ed on the casing. The removable head of the lamp carries a reflector and lens which are arranged in front of the bulb when the parts are in position. One of the chief objections to the present type of battery hand lamps is the liability of the bulb to become loose in the bulb holder or socket and thus break the circuit at this point. If the bulb becomes loose, a circuit will not be completed when the switch is'closed. This occurs frequently when a hand lamp is carriedv in the tool kit of an automobile, which is one of the uses to which such hand lamps are put, but it also frequently/occurs from other causes.

-In the present invention I provide means for retaining the bulb in its holder or socket preferably consisting of yieldable means cngaging the bulb to retain it in its socket but to permit its removal when desired by application of sufficient force to overcome the yieldable means. I preferably employ a threaded socket of the usual type having grooves or slots and provide a resilient retaining member having bowed or curved arms which are adapted to be arranged in said grooves or slots with a portion thereof normally projecting beyond the threadsinto the path of the bulb when it is secrewed into the socket. I may also rovide suitable means for forcing the arms o the retaining member inwardly into the path of the bulb so that when the bulb is screwed into its socket these arms will be placed under tension and securely hold the bulb in place. v

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one form of the invention. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, sectional View through the upper end of a battery hand lamp showing the invention applied;

Fig. 2 is a similar viewof the bulb holder or socket on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken at right angles thereto on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 4--4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the spring retaining member. l

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates generally-a hand lamp casing of theusual construction. This casing is adapted to receive a battery, the upper end of which is shown at 2. The end of the casing is threaded in the usual manner as indicated at 3 and is adapted to receive an end cap 4 which is likewise provided with threads 5 adapted to engage the threads 3 to permit the end cap to'be placed in position and re. moved. A head 6 is mounted on the end cap, being secured thereto by means of threads 7 and this head is adapted to clamp a lens and a reflector 8 in posit1on. In the form of the invention shown the lamp socket is carriedby the reflector, but it will be understood that this is merely illustrative and that the lamp socket may be carried by a separate supporting member as is now used in various types of battery hand lamps in which the reflector and bulb are adjustable with respect to each other for focusing purposes. As shown, the lamp socket 9 is received in a central opening in the reflector and is provided with a circular band orv flange l0 which is ladapted to be turned over as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings to clamp the socket to the reflector. The socket is generally cylindrical in shape and adjacent the lower end thereof, it is internally threaded as at l1 for the reception ofthe threaded portion 12 of lamp bulb 13. The upper portion of the lamp socket is preferably of greater diameter than the lower portion as indicated at 14, forming a shoulder 15 intermediate the top and bottom of the socket.

The retainingmeans forming the subject matter of this invention is adapted to be supported on the shoulder 15 and preferably comprises a split resilient ring 16 which may be seated on this shoulder and is out of the plath of the bulb as will be clearly apparent om Fig. 1 of the drawings. This ring 1s provided with depending arms 17 which are adapted to be received in grooves or slots 18 `in the threaded portion of the socket and which depend from the ring 16. As shown, the arms 17 are bowed or curved so that a portion thereof will proj ect inwardly toward the center of the socket beyond the walls of the threads. i

To urge the retaining arms inwardly, I may employ a cup-shaped member 19 adapted to fit over the lower end of the lamp socket and be retained thereon by friction. r1`he wall of this member may be provided with a slot 2O to permit it to be sprung into position over the exterior of the lamp socket. The function of the cup-shaped member is to engage the lower ends 21 of the arms 17 forcing them inwardly and causing the bowed portion of the arms to project beyond the threads as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In some instances the use of the cup-shaped member may be dispensed with and the bulb, when in position, will then assume such position that its base terminal will engage the carbon pole of the battery. However, when the cupshaped member 19 is employed I provide suitable means for forming a connection from the base terminal of the bulb to the carbon pole of the battery and as shown I provide an opening 22 in the bottom of the cup-shaped member in alignment with the base terminal of the bulb. Discs ot' insulating material 23 are placed above and below the surface of the cup-shaped member and a disc of metal 24 is then placed over the outside disc of insulating material. These discs are secured in position by means of a rivet 25 which completes the circuit from the carbon pole of the battery 2 to the lower terminal of the lamp bulb 13 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. iVhen the lamp bulb 13 is screwed into the socket 11, the bulb contacts with the bowed portions of the arms 17 and as these arms are prevented from moving outwardly by the engagement of their lower ends 21 with the inner wall of the cup-shaped member, the movement of the bulb into the socket fleXes these arms from the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and places them under tension. The bulb is thus retained in the lamp socket under tension at all times and this prevents its accidental displacement by vibration, but at the same time, does not prevent the removal of the bulb by the application of suiiicient force to overcome the tension of the arms 17. The bulb may thus be unscrewed by the user of the battery hand lamp in the usual manner.

plurality of grooves parallel to its axis, a

ring seated in said socket, and curved resilient arms carried by said ring having portions disposed in said grooves and portions normally projecting into the bore of said socket, and means for retainingf'said arms in operative position.

3. A connecting member for a lamp bulb socket of a battery hand lam comprising a cup-shaped member carried y said socket and adapted to surround the portion of the bulb projecting beyond the bottom of the socket, a connecting member extending through the bottom of said cup-shaped meinber and adapted to establish electrical connection between the base terminal of a lamp bulb and the carbon pole of a battery when the parts are in assembled position, and means for insulating said connecting niember from the body portion of said cup-shaped member.

4. A bulb holder for battery hand lamps comprising a threaded socket, the upper portion of said socket being of greater diameter than said threaded portion and formin a shoulder, the threaded walls of said soc et being provided with grooves, a ring seated on said shoulder, arms carried by said ring and arranged in saidv grooves with portions thereof normally projecting into the bore of said socket, and means for retaining said arms in operative position.

5. A bulb holder for battery hand lamps comprising a threaded socket, the upper portion of said socket being of greater diameter than said threaded portion and forming a shoulder, the threaded walls of said socket being provide-d with grooves, a ring seated on said shoulder, arms carried by said ring and arranged in said grooves with portions thereof normally projecting into the bore of said socket, a cup-shaped member mounted on the bottom of said lamp socket and engaging said arms to retain the projecting portions thereof in operative position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

HENRY W. STAPLES. 

